Swim Lessons Begin

Today marked a milestone in our children's lives - all 3 of their dreams' has been to receive swim lessons! They have been wanting them for years. Straight Arrow started at Level 1, as he is not comfortable going under the water yet. Kind Heart started at Level 2, as he has a good swimming sense, can go under the water, and can swim a short distance. And Lil' Farmer started at Preschool Level 1. He didn't do so well today. He sat on the steps and cried for a good 20 min - he is very shy with new situations and people. He finally got brave and jumped from the edge of the pool to the instructor, had a huge smile, and then was told to get out of the pool as lessons were over. He started crying again! Needless to say, he is looking forward to class tomorrow. An interesting note is that yours truly is a former Lifeguard and used to teach myself! I have worked at YMCA's and at college pools, but the kids need a group, I think, to gain confidence, and to have someone else to learn from. I have tried over the years to teach them, but they have not responded. Maybe it was their ages? Either way, I am glad they are finally learning. It was very cold this morning at the pool - about 62, with a wind! They were brave to jump in!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

I have been enjoying jogging lately - especially now that I have my running skirts. This summer, I finally splurged and purchased two really nice running skirts - long ones that go past my knees. I feel so safe in them and they are very comfortable to wear, each having hidden light weight leggings. I have decided to train for a 10K Run in October. I have run a 5K officially (albeit 16 mos ago) and am consistently running about 3 miles each time I run. A 10K is 6.2 miles. That is quite a bit more! But I have time to work on it - it is in 10 weeks.

After our run early this morning!

Infiltrated.. Poo and More Poo!

After cleaning the house meticulously this morning, the children and I set out for an afternoon of errands, shopping, and quick bite to eat. When we came back four hours later, I was told by an excited Kind Heart, that a large groundhog was in the house! A large animal he said! I look, and lo and behold, I see poop on the carpet. Lots of poop. Not as big as a dog, per-say, but bigger than rat droppings! Yuck! The boys found a squirrel in their room, under their bunk!

We shut the door and I immediately called our Housing Office. They called Orkin immediately and the property manager and her assistant manager came out within 30 minutes. I began to clean up the poop - it was in the living room, behind furniture, on furniture, on the floor in the kitchen, and in my sewing/computer room floor. We found two urine spots - one in the boys' room and one in my room. Double Yuck! When the managers came, one did a walk behind the house while the other went inside with me. Everything was fine on the outside. We checked all the house, except the boys' room - where the squirrel was being held captive, and no sign of another squirrel. So, we finally entered the room. She looked - and the squirrel had escaped! It chewed its way out of the room, via Lil' Farmer's bed, jumping onto the sill, and eating through the mesh screen window! Tomorrow morning, we are getting an emergency carpet deep-cleaning courtesy of our property managers. So nice!

Lil' Farmer's Farm Shirt

Yep, you guessed it! Our Lil' Farmer wanted a Farm Shirt. He has been such a blessing and a joy to us - a true gift from the Lord. He has been asking for a farm shirt for quite some time. My first sewing project to "get back on the horse" - so to speak, had to be to make our littlest boy his request. It took me about 3 hours from a few yards of fabric to his finished shirt. I split it into two nights and enjoyed the time chatting with dear Professor as he worked.

What will it be?

Let's see, what will it be? And for whom? Can you guess?

And a hint in case you needed it...

Nice Hike

This evening, when the Professor got home from work, we took advantage of the longer evenings and took a hike. It is a beautiful hiking spot as we weave through the greens of an elite golf course, winding down to the ocean. A trail goes along the edge and it is so nice to feel the breeze, see the vessels moving in and out of port, see the sun setting - just a nice relaxing time for us.

Crochet Time - A New Sweater

I managed to crochet a sweater over the past few weeks - it helps when someone else is driving for 3,000 miles! I measured the sleeves, but I didn't realize the shoulder seam would go down Sweet Sis's arm a bit, so the sleeves are a bit long. She will grow into it! And the great part is if the bodice ever grows too small, I can put some more edging to lengthen it up a bit. This sweater does not button down the front, which is proving to be a problem with Sweet Sis as she wants to take it off more frequently. It is a nice sweater for ocean shore living! We had them on today - middle of July!